Blankejeran is a town in south/central Aceh Province in the Gayo Highlands. It is quite featureless as a town but is relatively close to Gunung Leuser National Park, where there is excellent hiking.
Blankejeran is the capital of the rural Gayo Lues Regency. There is no airport in the town and the best way in is by bus from Medan in neighboring North Sumatra. A return hike to Leuser National Park takes up to two weeks and goes by way of the village of Angasan, a few hours west of Blankejeran.
Leuser National Park covers nearly a million hectares of rugged land, with the 3,400-meter Mount Leuser its main attraction. It is a large volcano shrouded in mist and surrounded by dense jungle. The start of the hike goes from Angasan and several hours through virgin rainforest, eventually taking in lakes, waterfalls and the peak of Mount Leuser.
North of Blankejeran, also on the Gayo Highlands plateau, is the town of Takengon, which has more facilities but no airport.
Getting There & Away
There’s no airport in Blankejeran, with the nearest major one in Medan, 200kms to the southeast. Medan’s Polonia International Airport is one of Indonesia’s largest and receives flights from Jakarta in 2 hours. Flights also come in from Banda Aceh and from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. It’s about 5 hours by bus from Medan to Blankejeran.
Things to Do
Blankejeran Attractions
- Gayo Highlands
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There are no outstanding features of blankejeran, yet the surrounding gayo highlands provide lots of opportunity for exploration.
Side trips from Blankejeran
- Gunung Leuser National Park
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The main attraction in the region is this stunning national park, topped off by the 3,400-meter mount leuser.